the back door

princess is packed. mapboy is packed. hubby is packed. me? mostly packed. we are off in just a few hours!! this trip should be quite the adventure. my kiddos have never had to ride such long days. when we did route 66 we did short days with a lot of stops along the way. at that time princess was just learning to crawl so sitting didn't bother her. thankfully the motorhome travel is complete with a large tv for viewing, room to move around in, a table to play games in, and i don't get car sick!! i'm looking forward to some fun time together...this spring has been filled with disappointment and some tension around here. getting away will be good for all of us. since we have my parents with us i'm looking forward to the night where they keep the kiddos and we get a chance to have a date at disney! i've always wondered what that would be like - really i have. my best friend and i went to disney on a spring break trip in college and we talked about what we wo...

1. yea jordin!!!! 2. the packing has begun!!! 3. i so need a vacation!!!

that is really all i can say!!! the madness is everywhere!!!!!!!

i love to bake, cook, and eat! in late december i started the dash diet (dietary adjustments to stop hypertension) for my high blood pressure. that means my family has all learned how to eat much more balanced and healthy all while trying to stay on budget. this is a favorite recipe around here a dear friend passed along. it is healthy and i almost always have all the stuff on hand. cereal bars: 3 c. cheerios 3 c. rice krispies 1 1/2 c. raisins 1/2 c. sunflower seeds (optional) 1 c. chocolate chips (optional, but since dark chocolate is good for the heart i always add!) combine above in large bowl 1 c. honey 1/4 - 1/2 c. sugar (i always use the 1/4) heat on medium in pan. bring to boil for 1 minute. add: 16 oz. peanut butter 1 tsp. vanilla stir until melted and pour over dry cereal mix. press into greased 9 x13 pan. cool my kids eat these like crazy. they make a nice snack or even breakfast!!

on friday, princess had her preschool graduation. she only graduated from the 3/4 class to the prek class but still a huge deal in our little world. tonight, mapboy has his school music program. this is the first one of his school career. it is for all of the k-2nd grade. he will be singing several songs with an animal theme of some kind. this should be a big moment as well, and it is....but here's my confession: the finals of american idol are on tonight! so all day long i've been thinking "will we make it home on time? why won't our recorder record anymore? who can i call to record it for me? when will i get to watch it?" sad isn't it? while my little boy is so excited to perform for his friends and family i'm stressed about american idol!! what does that say about me??? well, amazing race is over, survivor is over, this is the final week of american idol....what will i watch next - and geez, i am really pathetic!!! what can i say? at the ...

okay...so we picked up mapboy from school this morning...while waiting in the parking lot, princess starts screaming she has to go potty right now. I calmly explained that we don't have keys to get into the school, that brother will be out in a minute, and that we are only 2 minutes from home. i told her she would just have to wait all of 3 minutes. she didn't like it one bit and proceeded to tell me non-stop how bad she had to go potty. now i was getting totally frustrated - i had most definitely explained the circumstances. couldn't she just be quiet long enough for me to finish my book that i was reading? ahh...i know, if i give her a lifesaver that will change her focus. dilema solved! i never heard another word. here comes mapboy....he is bounding at the door talking with his best bud. we can hardly get the boys back to the cars. his best bud happens to be the son of my best friend (a great thing!). the boys crawl into their cars to share their birthday loo...

i know i just posted, but this deserves a post all its own... i've never been so proud of my hubby as i have been over the past several months. he has been going through quite a journey of faith and spiritual battles. God has been so good to our little family and has been so faithful to him. today he shared about it at church. since hubby is a mostly private person, this was a step of faith itself. most of you out there are clueless so i'll fill in the basics for you. hubby is passionate about politics and feels a great call to it. he planned to make a run for mayor but as always felt the conflict between faith and politics. he pulled together a team of christians to run with him and all was going well. then the party leaders pulled the rug out from under him. so...back to sticking to the council seat for another four years. well, the primary was 2 weeks ago and the party made it very clear he was not welcome. he was voted out of office and purely for the reason of h...

well the official countdown has begun here at our house...in 5 days we head out to see disney! this is quite an adventure for our little family. as soon as mapboy finishes school on friday we head out. my parents kindly offered to take our family on the trip. we will be riding in their motorhome and living in it with them - all 6 of us - for 10 days! the kids are thrilled and talk about it non-stop. princess is all about meeting each and every disney princess there is. her next priority is taking care of zurg on the buzz lightyear ride. i haven't figured her out yet! mapboy is all about getting there. his plans include giving directions to grandpa from the passenger seat, defeating zurg, and riding the mountain ride! my plans include a night out with hubby, reliving my childhood through my kiddos, and getting away from the insane world we live in to enjoy the insane world of a million others!! if any of you out there have wonderful words of wisdom for life at disney wi...

i was always thinking this would take up so much of my time...well let's see. it is not quite noon yet and what have i done? well, i did take mapboy to school today. he has a summer birthday so his teacher so kindly assigned may days for them to celebrate. so since i had to drive him instead of put him on the bus, princess and i went on to the church to work on vbs. then home again. i checked my email, felt the pressure from my dear cousin, and sat at the computer for the next 90 minutes. oops...i forgot i have to pick mapboy up. grap princess and off we run! thankfully we live just 2 minutes from school. get back home. too excited to see if it worked..so log on again and here i sit. another 45 minutes has passed and i'm still playing around with it. never mind that the dishes need put away, the laundry started, my kids are beggin for lunch, princess just watched 3 episodes of dora, the dog wants inside, and hubby will walk in the door in about 5 minutes to have lu...

okay...so i was getting a lot of grief from a lot of people about getting a blog going...so here i am. once my cousin posted my name as someone needing to blog i couldn't hold out any longer! so who am i? i ask myself that a lot during the course of a day! i am a very happily married stay at home mom. i live in my home town which is something i said i would never do. i married a guy from a town i said i'd never date anyone from and absolutely love my life! imagine that..... we have been married for 8 years, have a dog - oscar, and 2 great kiddos: mapboy, 6 1/2 and princess 4 1/2. hubby is an architect in a small firm in town. i work with the children's ministry at our church and we live in a 150 year old house on the main street. you know, i thought marrying an architect that he would design and build me an incredible new house, but no, he happens to be an architect who loves preserving the old! it sure is a good thing i love this old house. let me tell you a li...